


Space Tribunal

by Little_Firestar84



Category: Bull (TV 2016), Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: One Shot, Post season finale, post Unascended novels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24569482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Firestar84/pseuds/Little_Firestar84
Summary: "Doctor Bull, we are not here for your money, we just need a tiny bit of your time and your expertise.”“Well, I fear I may not be too much of help today, as the counselor and I are due in court in…” Bull checked his watch, and whistled. “…In forty-five minutes. But, we do have office hours, so let me give you my card, and tell your lawyers to give me a call, will you?”McKay, Sheppard and Zelenka are forced to kidnap world-famous jury expert Dr. Jason Bull, the the freedon of one of their own- and their lives in Atlantis are threatened by the Ascended Acients.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Space Tribunal

**Author's Note:**

> Story prompted by [eldewitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderwitty/pseuds/elderwitty)'s  
> short story, Side Trip, that you can find [here](https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/57493174?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_312137188).  
> He wondedred what in the world could bring the people of Atlantis and  
> Bull's team together, and I told him I had the answer. Well, here it  
> is. Uncanon for Atlantis, as it follows the Legacy novels. 

“I don’t understand. Nothing seems to answers to my command any longer.” McKay mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head, looking lost from a console to the next, unable to stay still for more than few seconds. He checked _underneath_ the consoles, checked the energy levels…everything seemed to be in working order. And yet, nothing was working any longer – it looked like it wasn’t being Rodney’s day. Or week. Or month. Or, given everything that had happened to him lately (being turned into a Wrath, an awful break-up as he was proposing _on his knee,_ almost dying a few times, being stuck with Atlantis at the North Pole ), his year. 

He clenched his teeth, joined his hands at his eyes level, and hissed at the consoles. “Why. The. Hell. Are. You. Nor Working!” He enunciated each and every word, hissing. 

At his back, Zelenka sighed. Tired like his boss after so many failed attempts at restarting their beloved city, he let himself fall on the extremely uncomfortable chair Rodney loved so much and, ridding himself of his glasses, he lazily rubbed his tired, reddened eyes. 

“Rodney, did you try to…”

“YES, YES, YES!” Rodney screamed at the top of his lungs, frustrated, going in Zelenka’s face, not even allowing his partner to end his sentence. He didn’t need to, after all: everything there was to try, he had already done it, at least three times. “I already tried _everything,_ and _nothing_ worked at all. I even asked Sheppard to come and try pressing stuff at random, hoping that maybe his ATA gene would work some kind of, well… miracle, but nothing. We are stuck here, and I don’t even know why!”

Once again he enunciated the words, one by one, but by that he point, Rodney was so frustrated that he couldn’t control his rage any longer, and so, each word was a closed fist slammed againsthis brand-new enemy. 

“Destroying the Ancients’ technology isn’t going to bring you anywhere, Dr. McKay.” As they heard the female voice at their back, slowly, agonizingly so, both Zelenka and McKay turned to meet one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen, so full of grace that it took their breath away. Recognizing her from tales and a recording they had discovered when they had first landed in the Lost City, Rodney slowly took the few steps that separated them, swallowing hard. 

For once, he was at loss for words, for he knew that, whatever was happening- whatever had happened- they were all in huge troubles. Ancient didn’t show themselves, didn’t interact with human, and the few who had ever done so, it had been a prelude of all hell breaking loose. 

McKay was standing right before the almost angelic creature, emanating a soothing, warm light, and studied her, from every angle -she almost smirked, with a glint in her eyes, amused by his pantomime. 

“Morgan? Morgan LeFay?” He asked, already knowing- and fearing- the answer. 

She smiled, kind and yet filled with sadness, her eyes low, at the man right before her. “Yes. Rodney McKay, I am indeed the one you called Morgan LeFay. And I fear I come bearing unfortunate news: my brothers and sisters wish to end their alliance with the human world, and I fear I may have already done too much in the past- helping you is entirely out of my hands now.”

“You are… evicting us?” Zelenka asked timid, barely taking a step closer to the Ascended creature. 

Morgan, her eyes fixed on the ground, shook her head, sighing. “I told you- I can’t help you any longer. You’ll have to leave the city of the Ancients, and return to your home world- and leave the one you call Elizabeth Weir to us. She knows too many secrets, as a former ascended being, to be let free.” 

“You… want to keep Elizabeth captive? _Here?”_ Swallowing, gaping, Rodney looked at everything but the ancient, unable to fully believing the awful choice they had been presented- a living nightmare. “But… but we just got her back…”

_ I just got Elizabeth back, and I think I may still be in love with her… _ he thought, but didn’t dare to say aloud. Not that there was any need to- he had many negative sides, but Rodney McKay, when it came to matter of the hearts, to his friends, his family, he was crystal clear. Everybody knew he was smitten with Elizabeth, and not just because, when ascended, she had saved his life in more than one occasion- thus her demoting to her status of mortal once again.

“But… but you can’t just take her away from us!” Zelenka tried to reason with the Ancient, knowing how futile it was. And yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew he had to. Rodney was just too shocked to even just say a word- it was the worst time possible for him to lose his silver tongue, but he was still processing everything, trying to find a solution that could work for everyone. Or, at least, buy themselves some time while they worked out a plan to keep Elizabeth (and maybe, just maybe, Atlantis as well), calling all the favors they were owed in, asking for the assistance of allies and former enemies…

Somewhere, in the universe, there had to be an answer to this problem. 

“WE WANT AN HEARING!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, lifting his hand to call for Morgan’s attention as he was a scholar asking for his teacher’s help. When the womanlooked at her with curiosity and interest, an eyebrow lifted, he took a few steps toward her, steading himself for impact. “We want an hearing. We want to show you our side of the story. Let us.” _Please._ He mentally added, not sure she had heard him or not. 

She smirked, as she would find the situation… fun. A pleasant diversion. “Very well. We consent. We’ll let you make your case. But remember this, McKay- if you’ll not convince us, Weir will have to stay here with us, and wait for her death- or the day she’ll be able to ascend to an higher plane of existence once again.”

In a billion of tiny, fluttering, fireflies, Morgan vanished, leaving them once again on their own, in a scary and heavy silence.

“Rodney… do you really think you can convince the Ancients to leave Doctor Weir with us?”

“Me? Are you kidding? If I were to talk, they’d leave with her in five seconds.” Rodney snorted. “No, no, I have a better idea. I know _exactly_ who we need to call in for help. I just need to work out the details of how we could get him and his team _here.”_

“Are you going to ask for Daniel Jackson’s help?”

“Nope, but, good idea. We could use him here, too- he and O’Neill ascended, too, so they may know something of how to go about this.” Rodney chuckled, too satisfied for his own good, feeling hopeful, and like himself once again. “Anyway, last year, my dear friends, Doctor Patterson, told me about this lawsuit moved against her husband, and how they had almost lost, if not for the help of an extremely brilliant jury analyst who offered his help.”

Zelenka just lifted an eyebrow. “So, what, you want to hire a jury analyst and his team?”

Rodney snickered. “Well, I told you, I’m still working out the details. But, yeah, that’s the general idea: to get doctor Jason Bull to work for us and save Elizabeth!.” 

“Woolsey isn’t going to like any of it…” as he sighed, Zelenkawiped out cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and looked at Rodney strolling out of the room.

He had a bad feeling about all if it. A real bad feeling. 

-o-o-

Jason Bull was more asleep than he should have been, considering that he was supposed to be in court in less than an hour. But, he couldn’t help it: little Astrid was teething, and, since Izzy was away on business (as usual), he was the only one taking care of their beloved daughter at night. 

“Too old to keep up with Astrid, eh, old man?” Benny sneakered as he read once again his opening statement, leaving a red mark here and there, adding some tidbits, taking away others, all to ensure their latest client’s verdict of innocence. Yes, it was only day one of _voir dire_ , but they weren’t brand new at this game, and they knew that, even before the beginning of the trial, the possible jurors had already a solid opinion. 

“Shut up. You aren’t so much younger than me. _And_ if you keep sleeping around with clients, sooner or later you’ll too end looking much the worse or wear.”

“Shut up, Bull, it only happened _once,_ and I already begged you for your forgiveness. _”_ Benny corrected his friend, sighing and lifting an eyebrow. “Besides, I was a real boy scout, always ready, contrary to a certain someone who had his way with my sister at our father’s wake.”

At closed eyes, hands joined over his belly, Bull smirked. “I swear, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you and Izzy are actually related at all, let alone _siblings_.”

“That’s because you corrupted her, even if you keep saying that she did it all on her own free will.” Contend, Benny slammed shout the folder, and tried to relax against the seat of Jason’s luxurious car; they were then minutes from the courthouse, about to begin one of the most controversial trials of the century. 

All of a sudden, though, their driver slowed down, just to hit the brakes and come to an halt so suddenly that they both slumped sideways as far as their seatbelts allowed them to. 

“What the….” Benny wondered out loud, about to lower the window and see what had happened; with clenched teeth, thought, Bull, had already rolled the divider down to give his driver a piece of his mind- and tell him that he was fired on the spot, and that he was able to drive his own car on his own, thank you very much, but the words, for once, died in his throat. 

The driver’s door was open, and a man was clambering in the seat- the same thing that was happening in the back, where both doors were wide open and Benny and Jason were being pushed towards the center of the car by two creepy guys joining them, getting all their attention thanks to the guns carried by them- Bull focused his attention to the one keeping him at gunpoint, almost positive he had met him before, but totally unable to pinpoint exactly where and when and how.

Both lifting their hands in surrender, between the two, Bull seemed to be the one still collected, in control of his emotions- his strong point, the reason he had been such a talented poker player in his youth. “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“Listen, we don’t carry any cash.” Benny swallowed, pale as a ghost, almost trembling. “Besides, I’m a minimum wage worker. He’s the loaded one.”

Bull smirked, lifting an eyebrow. _Chicken,_ he thought of his former brother in law/best friend/almost brother in law again. But, he was smart enough to keep his trap shout. Benny was vengeful. And he carried a mean punch, as he had already felt on his nose- the poor thing had never came back to the way it used to be _,_ and if he wasn’t scared as hell of operating rooms, he would have gone to a plastic surgeon already, making Benny pay for the whole ordeal. 

“ _Do prdele_ , I told you it was a bad idea…” Came from up front, with a strange accent, vaguely… eastern? Bull hummed, trying to recognize it- He had listened to Marissa talk in all kind of languages, back when she worked at Homeland, and he felt like he had it on the tip of his tongue. 

Russian? No- but it was quite close. 

“Shut up, you, and stop it with the Czech- you know I hate it!”The man shook his head, rolling his eyes. Then, gun pointing at Bull, he returned his attentions back to their hostages. “Doctor Bull, we are not here for your money, we just need a tiny bit of your time and your expertise.”

“Well, I fear I may not be too much of help today, as the counselor and I are due in court in…” Bull checked his watch, and whistled. “…In forty-five minutes. _But,_ we do have office hours, so let me give you my card, and tell your lawyers to give me a call, will you?”

The man next to Benny pressed the barrel of the gun against the counselor’s side- it was an old-fashioned revolver, and the metal was so cold that Benny could feel it through jacket, shirt and undershirt. “Doctor Bull, we don’t have time for that. We need your help _now.”_

Unable to take away the eyes from the danger Benny was in, remembering all too well the time they got trapped in their own building with awoman filled with explosives who considered one of their own responsible for her husband’s incarceration, Bull breathed in and out, trying to get a grip on himself. He needed to clear the waters- of that much he was sure- but he knew that he had to be careful about that. Those men were armed and dangerous, a wrong word… and Benny was dead. 

“Are you sure you are in the right car? My “expertise” doesn’t usually lent itself to last-minute so-called heroics. It takes planning, and usually a courtroom.”

“We know, Doctor Bull, and that’s why we need you, and your team.” Bull looked, for once, at the man pouting the gun at him. Low voice, sad eyes, he sounded, and looked- defeated. Old. Sad. Tired… and desperate. 

“We need to call for a continuation. My client needs to know that he needs a new lawyer.”

“The process has already been postponed- we may not look the part, but we have friends in high places, Doctor Bull.” The big guy pointing the gun at Benny smirked, chuckling satisfied. 

He squeezed the driver on the shoulder, and looked at his comrade in arms. “Zelenka, head over to Pier 13. The others are already there, waiting for us.” 

-o-o-

When they finally entered the dock at pier 13, both Bull and Benny were suddenly blinded by the harsh artificial lights and flames from the welding machines. Briefcase in hand, the lawyer’s muscles tightened, almost snapping, when he recognized the rich presence of military personnel in what, they could only assume, was a make-shift base. 

They both stood still as they saw their three kidnappers approaching a blonde woman, a man with two stars on his shoulder- a general, Bull’s trained eye recognized- and some other people in work clothes. They chattered at low voices, whispering, nodding, looking curiously at the two men, when the gates opened, loudly, screeching like it was a dying animal taking its last breath. A military convoy made its entrance, and when the truck stopped, the rest of Bull’s team was left pout the cargo space, the women kindly helped by a young man in uniform.

“So, what’s going on, the military arrested Benny again and now we are all in troubles? Or is it Taylor? OI knew she was danger the moment she walked through our door.” Chunk chuckled, hands in the pockets of his tailored suit, trying to lift everyone’s mood.

“Nope. This time it’s not me.” Benny sighed, biting his lips. “Taylor?”

“I haven’t hacked anything of national-security level lately. But…” She squirmed her eyes, and took a few tentative steps towards where the welding machines were at full work, busy assembling metal and cables. “I think I may know what the hell that thing there is?”

“I’m sorry, but, what do you exactly need my help with….general?” Bull demanded, walking in direction of the man he assumed was in charge, arms wide open in exasperation. 

“Yes, of course Doctor Bull. And I’m sorry if we suddenly grabbed you out of your workplace, but your help was needed, and we didn’t have time to try and convince you to collaborate with the US Army.”

“Hence the weapons pointed at us.” Benny grunted, crossing his arms. 

“Weapons?” The blonde woman in uniform lifted an eyebrow, and one of the guys who had kidnapped them – the black-haired big guy- let out a skew smile, scratching his cheek as he did so. “Yeah, well, we did need to convince them to come with us, so…”

“So you pointed a gun at a civilian, Colonel Sheppard?” The general hissed, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. 

“What? A gun? Me? Please!” The man who had pointed the gun at Bull rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. “They were fake. Like we’d go and point randomly guns at people. _Please.”_

The blonde woman smiled, laughing under her breath, and cleared her voice. “Sorry. I’m Colonel Samantha Carter, and this is my superior officer, Major General Landry- we’re USAF.”

“I don’t understand. The USAF needs our help? Were you sued or something? Because if you were, again: I have office hours. _And_ a phone. Also, I don’t really work with the government any longer- it’s way funnier going against you lads. Sorry, but not sorry”Bull chuckled, trying to take all in, to remember if had ever read anything about this Landry or Carter, but he didn’t remember anything in particular.

“It’s a… peculiar matter, let’s say. But before telling you anything, we need you all to sign a NDA. This is a matter of national security, I’m afraid…” Carter had the decency to, at least, blush, almost ashamed, as they were given paper and pens.

“God, it feels like we’re in a bad episode of the X-Files- the classic series, not that crazy stuff they did last year.” Chuck, bit his lips as, once signed, he saw everyone looking at him weird. Yes, he was gay, yes, he was a fashion expert, and yet, yes- he was a sci-fi nerd. He used to be a jock, after ell- it had been kind of expected of him to like all things trending, and back in the day, _X-FILES_ ruled. 

“You know, you are not that far from the truth. So…” The guy who had pointed the gun at Bull grabbed all their documents and just pushed them aside, like they hadn’t mattered at all. “We got in contact with the aliens. Yes, the greys- only they are Asgardians. Like Thor, Odin, you know, all that stuff. All major legends were born out of the aliens, actually. Like, King Arthur? Merlin- who’s an ass, by the way? Oh, and they built the pyramids. _And_ the city of Atlantis, where we are currently living. And _those_.” He grinned, pointing at the structure at his back. 

“Oh, crap. The Stargate program is real?” Taylor asked, her eyes wide open. “Wow. I mean, I know I hacked your files, but I thought it had to be some sad nerd who played on the military mainframe, or something like that. But… wow. The Stargate is real!” 

“The… Stargate? As in…” Bull didn’t end the sentence. 

“A gate through the stars, yes. The Stargate creates wormholes that connects two planets in an instant, making inter-planetary travels quick and easy.”

“Look like Elon Musk is going to get out of a job sooner rather than later- I mean, what do you need Space X for, if you have _this?”_

“Because we can only travel to planets that have a Stargate, Doktor.” Zelenka – the only one they had known the name from the beginning- suddenly joined the conversation, as he was cleaning his reading glasses with his shirt-tails. “I’m sorry ifmy coworkers forgot their manners, but we are truly very worried. The Ancients – one of the race of aliens who visited our planet in the past- want Atlantis back, and they want to keep our friend Elizabeth there with them because they think she knows too much.”

“Why, she was kidnapped?” Bull said, only half-serious, smirking. He looked around, trying to see where cameras where. Aliens, gates through planets and all that jazz- it _had_ to be a candy camera, right? He was quite famous, after all. They were being pranked. Maybe, if he looked a bit closely, he would find out that one of the guys dressed as military was, in truth, Ashton Kutcher.

“No. She ascended to a higher state of being, becoming pure, sentient energy, but when she saved my life, the Ancients punished her by turning her back into a mere mortal. Who doesn’t remember anything of her time as an ascended being, by the way, so they are being totally unreasonable.” He cleared his voice, suddenly conscious of his chit-chat, almost exaggerated. “By the way, I’m doctor Rodney McKay, and this here is…”

“Ah, so that’s how you ‘booked’ us- I assume you are Doctor Patterson’s Doctor McKay. I think I may have seen a picture of you at some conference at her place- that’s why you looked familiar. By the way, next time you want to kidnap someone, wear a mask. They come in all shapes and sizes.” 

“Yes, yes, very funny indeed. Anyway, the Ancients want to take away Atlantis _and_ Elizabeth, and we talked them into giving us an hearing, and as they pretty much hate us all, we want _you guys_ to present our case.”

“And this ancients you speak of…” Bull took a big breath, feeling himself sweating for the sudden nervousness. “They are ascended beings, right? Beings that are… sentient energy?” McKay and Zelenka nodded, as Bull clenched his teeth. “Just, out of curiosity, where do you think I can get a mirror jury of beings of _pure sentinel energy_ , uh?” 

McKay opened his mouth, like a dead fish, and couldn’t close it, while Zelenka rolled his eyes and Sheppard grinned of a crooked smile, and lazily scratched his neck, chuckling shamelessly. “Guess you’ll have to go in blind with this one here, doc.” 

-o-o-

“I am not going to wear _that thing_.” Benny snapped, almost tearing the cloth in his hands, as he faced McKay and Doctor Jackson- an expert of all things Ancients, apparently- and threw on the closest piece of furniture the garment. It was rich and ornate, heavy, white and gold, and it made him look like his priest at mass during the Advent. “What do you take me for, a Crown Prosecutor?”

“I hate to agree with Benny- he’d look hideous with that thing on.” Chunk chuckled, examining carefully, as it was infested, the garment, holding it at eye level with two fingers. “Can we get a pic of him in this, though? He is right- he’d look like a priest, and I think that Isabella had always had the secret fantasy of her little brother being a clergyman.” 

Benny zapped his friend with a death glare, as if saying that he would have remembered this awful joke, and would have reminded Chunk next time he’d come asking for help in his legal career.

“He is not completely wrong about the crown prosecutor, though- the inhabitants of the planet where we are headed used to visit Britain in the past. It’s from there that all the major legends were actually born. Matter of fact, Morgan LeFay is one of the Ascended Ancients that will hear us, well, you, out.”

“So, Arthur was an alien? I thought he was a Roman commander who fought the Visigoths!” Benny thought at loud. 

“Hang on, we are going off planet? Asin, now? Nobody said anything about this, and I need to be at home in two hours, when it’s bed time!” Taylor grunted as they all looked at her like she was crazy- or had suddenly grown a second head. “What? I have a son, and my ex is supposed to bring him to me. So, McGee, or, how the hell you are called?Get to work on brining me home, _now!”_

“It’s McKay.” He hissed as he followed the hacker, feeling that when Taylor got something in her head, there was no way to talk her out if it. 

Still, it didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed.

_ It’s for Elizabeth’s good. It’s all for Elizabeth’s good, repeat it again…. _

-o-o-

The floor was cold underneath Benny’s naked feet, and he was sweating profoundly despite the stream of cold air coming from the high windows, left open with the flowing curtains. He swallowed dry as he looked around himself, and barely resisted pinching himself to check if he was truly awake. 

It was just luck that he wouldn’t get to say to no one about this adventure, because no one would have believed him anyway: how could they, when he was standing at the round table, facing the sitting personifications of most of legends and myths- and historical figures, too- that had graced the Earth’s folklore since the beginning of time?

He turned his head, and looked at Bull, McKay and Jackson, who had followed him in this land known to humans as Avalon- just like the legends- and his longtime friend and brother-in-law just nodded, as to encourage him. 

McKay actually gave him two thumbs up as encouragement- something that didn’t helped him in the slightest. 

He wasn’t ready. He couldn’t do it. It was just like that time he had defended Captain Mathison all over again- the first time defending someone, after a long time spent in the back, and years as a prosecutor. It was all new, all different. 

Just like now. Defending a woman once again. 

Only, this time, he was battling _aliens._

Biting his lips, he took a big breath to steady himself and nodded.

He could do it. He had to. 

He just needed to believe it himself first. 

-o-o-

“You know, Doctor McKay, I don’t know who’s more exited- if you, or our Benny boy here.” Bull squeezed the shoulder of Benny, a ball of energy if had ever seen one. He was hyped up, filled with the remnants of pent-up tension that needed to be released.

“Don’t mock me, Jason- I just won against a tribunal of all mighty _aliens._ Just cut me some slack, will you? I think I deserve to be overly excited.”

Bull just chuckled, walking with his arm draped over Benny’s shoulders. The rest of the team had already gone home, Taylor even missing the majority of the trial, but he and Benny had gone through the whole ordeal, since minute one, without a pause. Neither of them had seen their favorite girl- little Astrid- in almost a week, and Bull couldn’t wait to get home to his baby and tell her all about how her daddy and uncle Benny could even win in tribunal _in space-_ it wasn’t likea newborn was going to tell anyone what he confessed her, after all. 

They were once again at pier 13, lights almost turned off this time, when Carter and McKay were ready to give them their goodbye, and walk them back to Bull’s car, still parked outside.

“Well, gentlemen, milady, don’t get me wrong, but I hope we’ll never meet again- one trip in space is enough for me.” 

Carter just laughed, while McKay grunted something, as Bull accommodated himself in the driver’s seat, Benny at his side.

“Ehy Bull, now that I won in space court, do I get a rise?”


End file.
